Fredrick c



(No Model.)-

F. G. FEIGKER.

FORK GUARD.

Patented Jan. 24, 1893.

ETERS no. mam-pram. WASH 'TATES 'ATENT Enron.

FREDRIOK O. FEIOKER, OF NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE NORTHAMPTON OUTLERY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FORK-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,430, dated January 24, 1893.

Application filed September 27, 1892. Serial No. 447,073. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDRIGK O. FEIOKER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at- Northampton, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fork-Guards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to carver-forks and more particularly to means for attaching guards to said forks and for operating the same, the object being to provide an improved spring for said guards and an improved form of the fork-shank to co-operate with said spring whereby the operation of the guard is rendered easy and sure.

The invention consists in a peculiar construction and arrangement of the fork-guard and its spring and of the shank of the fork to which the guard is attached, all as hereinafter fully described and more particularly referred to in the claim.

In the drawings forming part of this specification:Figure 1 is a perspective view of a carver-fork, having a shank and a guard, and a guard operating spring, constructed and combined according to my invention. The guard in this figure being shown in an elevated position. Fig. 2 is a-perspective view of the shank-portion of the fork with the guard removed, portions of the fork'proper and of the handle being shown in this figure. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the fork proper and a portion of the handle adjoining the shank, and showing the latter and the guard in longitudinal section, and showing the guard spring in full lines within the guard, this figure showing the guard lying against the shank, and its elevated position in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the guard and its spring separated from each other. Fig. 5 is an underside plan view of the guard.

In the drawings, H, is the fork proper, J, is the fork handle and a, is the shank of the fork intermediately between said fork and handle. The said shank, a, has formed on its upper side a boss or protuberance, 4, in the apex of which is a depression, 2, occupying a central position between the sides of said boss, the said depression serving the purpose of guiding the free end of the guardspring, which, as below described, rests therein when the guard occupies the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3. The side of said boss or protuberance, 4, adjoining the end of the handle, J, has formed thereon a face, the upper portion, 1), of which, inclines from the apex of the boss toward the upper side, ac, of the shank, near said boss; and from the lower edge of said inclined portion, 12, that portion, 3, of the rear side of the boss, which extends upward from said side, 00, to the lower edge'of saidincline, is formed substantially at right angles to said upper side of the shank at the rear of said boss. A perforation, 0, is made transversely through the shank, a, about at the base of said boss, 4, through which the pivotpin, 5, of the guard passes.

The fork-guard consists of the guard-arm,

6, and of the supporting legs, 0, integrally formed of suitable metal. That portion of the guard-arm, 6, at the junction therewith of the legs, 0, is perforated to form a chamber, e, which is of much greater diameter than the guard-spring, cl, which is partially inclosed thereby, to the end that said spring may have the requisite free vibratory movement which constitutes What is termed a lively or free spring.

It is desirable that a guard-spring on a carver-fork shall not be of such nature that it shall produce such degree of resistance to the elevation of the guard as shall hinder the op eration of the latter by a thumb or a finger of the hand holding the fork, pressed against either one of the legs of the guard when the fork is held in the hand; that is to say, such convenience of manipulating the guard shall exist as will obviate the necessity of using the other hand, or that in which the knife is 0 held, to turn the guard up, when the knife and fork are to be used. Therefore the inner extremity of the guard-spring, d, is inserted in asuitable perforation, 7, madein the guard arm, at the base of said perforation, 6. This 5 arrangement of the spring, within the guardarm, almost entirely conceals the spring and leaves nearly three-quarters of its length free for spring movement to hold the guard in either its downward or upward position.

The fork-guard, I), together with its spring, the latter being secured in the guard, as described, is hung or pivoted on the fork-shank, a, by the pivot-pin, 5, passing through the leg, 6, of the guard and the perforation, o, in the shank, said pivot-pin being riveted, or otherwise suitably secured in place, and the guard and spring being thus in operative position, in the fork-shank, operate as followsz-The guard being turned down against the forkshank and the base of the fork, H, as shown in Fig. 3, the spring, cl, occupies the position shown in said last named figure, that is to say, the free end of said spring rests in the said depression, 2, in the apex of the boss, 4, and, as shown in said Fig. 3, slightly to the left of the axial line of the pivot-pin, 5, of the guard, thereby retaining by easy spring motion, the guard in said last named position, the legs thereof extending along each side of the forkshank and the adjoining end of the handle, as shown in said last named figure.

lVhen it is desired to throw the guard upward to the position shown in Fig. 1, the pressure of the thumb or finger on the extremity of eitherone of the legs, 0, will cause the guard to swing on its pivot, thereby lifting its arm, 6, and causing the free end of the spring, Z), to pass over the apex of the boss, 4, onto the inclined part, i), of its rear face. As soon as the end of said spring is brought into engage' ment with said inclined face-portion, Q), the spring acts to complete the upward movement of the guard, whereby the free extremity of the guard spring is brought to a position against the said portion, 3, of the rear side of the boss, 4, which is at right angles to the adjoining face, 00, of the upperside of the forkshank, and the extremity of said spring is caused to abut against said face, as, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby'arresting the upward movement of the guard, when the latter arrives at its proper elevated position, and the pressure of the extremityof the guard-spring, 22, against said face, 3, serves to there retain the guard by a slight, but efficient spring action and one operating to such degree as renders it convenient to throw the guard down, by the action of a finger of the hand in which the fork is held.

The above described construction of the guard, its spring, and the form of the boss over which the free end of the spring operates as above set forth, provide a desirable substitute for a guard having thereon a springtongue integral with the guard, such as has been heretofore used, for the reason that the last named guard-spring possesses an inconvenient degree of resistance to the requisite movements of the guard, sinceit requires, ordinarily, the use of the hand in which the knife is held to operate it.

j What I claim as my invention, is:-

j In combination, a fork-shank having on its side the boss or protuberance, 4, having an apex, as described, a rear face consisting of the portions, 3, and Q), respectively at right angles, and at an incline to the face, 56, of the shank adjoining saidboss, a guard pivoted to said shank and consisting of the arm, 6, and the legs, 0, said arm having the perforation, e, therein, and a guard-spring having one end fixed in the arm, 6, at the base-of said perforation, the free end of said spring having a free vibratory spring movement within said perforation, e, and pressing upon the apex and face-portions, 3, and o, of said boss, successively, when the guard is operated, substantially as set forth.

FREDRIOK O. FEIOKER.

lVitnesses:

OLIVER WALKER, S. L. BUTLER. 

